Re: Gerry Armstrong
[24 Jul 1997]

Reply to Keith Wyatt: "Why do you feel you have been unfairly and unjustly treated?"

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From: armstrong@ntonline.com (gerry armstrong)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Re: Gerry Armstrong
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 02:17:23 GMT
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On 22 Jul 1997 06:22:01 GMT, kewyatt@kelly.teleport.com (Keith Wyatt)
wrote:

>Gerry, I have a question for you.
>
>I want to read your whole side of the story from start to finish.
>
>Why do you feel you have been unfairly and unjustly treated?
>
>Keith
>
My whole side of the story is now twenty-eight years long, thousands
of pages of my writing, sixty some odd days of sworn oral testimony,
and a paper mountain of related documents. It is too long to post
here, and inappropriate in this context because it belongs between
book covers.

Perhaps, however, this may answer your question concerning the
unfairness and unjustness of Scientology's treatment of me.
Understand that it is as much its treatment of others which has
brought me to do the things I've done, say the things I've said and
take the stand I've taken. If I were Scientology's sole target, and
it treated the rest of the world fairly and justly, I wouldn't do or
say many of the things I've done or said.

You have asked me publicly to answer a question you have, which
presumably has some importance to you. Your question legitimately
might have some importance to you because my conflict with Scientology
is widely known; i.e, it is a public controversy. The organization
has sued me five times and attempted to have me charged criminally,
including by the FBI. These things are public records. My
information and testimony has been used in major publications about
Scientology and its founder Hubbard; e.g., A Piece of Blue Sky, Madman
or Messiah, Bare-Faced Messiah. My first litigation with Scientology
exists as a published opinion, and hence precedent, and my name and
history have made it to the US Spureme Court; see, e.g., US v. Zolin.
Scientology has itself published a small paper mountain of black PR
about me, and continues to black PR me.

So there is a public controversy about my history, character and
credibility, which you have joined. Indeed you have entered your own
comments and opinions into that public controversy. Eg., from
"Armstrong's Cult Bag is Empty:"

"Gerry, You getting to involved in this "evil cult" beliefsystem. I
suggest you take up a new line of work, like ambulance chasing. You
seem to have that great running ability!

By the way is this our dead agent attack against Scarrf? If so, I
think you should go back to your CoS notebook and brush up on your
skills."

As an aside, ambulance chasing is relegated to lawyers, and
aismtbianal.

It is unfair and unjust that the person about whom there is a public
controversy, concerning such personal things as his history, character
and credibility, is barred by the entity manufacturing that
controversy - the Scientology enterprise under David Miscavige - from
entering that controversy, providing his side and his viewpoint, and
possibly ending the controversy.

During my time inside Scientology I participated in, uncovered and
documented a massive fraud. This includes, but is not limited to,
fraud concerning Hubbard's past, credentials and promises, and the
organization's representations, practices, policies and intentions.
It is unjust and unfair to every Scientologist and everyone to whom
the organization makes its representations that I am barred from
making my knowledge known concerning that fraud.

While I am barred from telling the truth about Scientology and my
experiences, the organization may say whatever it wants about me and
my experiences, no matter how false and defamatory. Scientology
claims that I may not respond to its falsehoods and libels, and that
if I do respond I must pay it $50,000 for each response, plus go to
jail. That is unfair and unjust.

Scientology claims to be a religion, and organized for strictly
religious purposes. People's experiences inside Scientology are
"religious experiences." The organization's use of the law to prevent
me from sharing in any way my religious experiences is a
constitutionally impermissible violation of the religious expression
and religious establishment clauses. The equivalent would be
prohibiting someone, for any reason, from discussing Jesus Christ or
God Himself. That is unfair and unjust.

Scientology promised, in order to get me to sign its "settlement
agreement" that it would eliminate fair game, stop attacking people
completely. The organization did not cease fair gaming people, but
continues this obnoxious and dangerous doctrine to this day. I am
still a target of fair game, as are countless other innocent people.
That is unfair and unjust.

But what if I were the last person on earth who had the knowledge I
have; or what if I were the last person on earth who had a key to
preventing a global catastrophe? In the realm of religion, of spirit,
of truth, of possibility, of God, no cult and no court can say that
ain't so. It is unfair, unjust and unwise to attempt do so.
Everyone's communications must be treated as if they have earth-saving
importance. Nobody has to nor can be made to listen, but no one can
should be stopped from saying what he's called to say. (Please don't
enter here stupidities like yelling fire in the proverbial crowded
theater.)

That is why I am in Canada, and that is why I will say what I'm called
to say. To do otherwise is unfair and unjust.

Gerry Armstrong